Sunday, 24 June 2007

I've just fallen victim to a secret party that left me 1) shaking and scanning the room for the closest bottle of champagne; 2) simultaneously self-conscious and giddily excited and 3) astonished by the skilled subterfuge that had taken place around me during the last two months. My partner, my mother, my sister, my work colleagues and my closest friends have all managed to lie to me at some point within these past weeks in order to create a single moment when I would return home to the heart-stopping shock of having a dozen people pop up in my tiny apartment kitchen, shouting the word 'SURPRISE!' Well, congrats, you got me.

Heart-warming though it was, I couldn't help but fear how easily I fell for all the lies and how naive I must be to not have realised for a single second that my very own husband was planning an evening that was so well-oiled that most of my friends thought he'd also been hiding a secret sideline as a premiere party planner.

The only problem was that I'd spent the day out with the family, being dragged from destination A to Z before being allowed to return home... I was looking far from my best. So after the initial 'Wahey' moment, I retreated to my bedroom where I gave myself five minutes to throw on a party dress and sling suitable slap at my fraught face. Any longer and the search party would've arrived - poking fun at my vanity and ogling my cabinets of cosmetics. Nope, couldn't have that.

When in a rush, I play it safe. SK-II Airbrush Foundation makes my skin look sheeny and uniform, even when it's veering towards tired and temperamental. I spray the first squirt onto a paper tissue as the initial discharge can be oilier and less fine than the 'mist' that appears afterwards. It's a quick spray back and forth, from left to right, over my entire face, with eyes closed. If you're doing it right, from the correct distance and the dispenser is working without a hitch, absolutely no blending will be necessary. You just let it be. Brilliant. I then dusted Bobbi Brown Blush in Soft Pink onto the apples of my cheeks and swiped Dior Skinflash across my sleep-deficient circles. Three easy pieces... and the result? A graceful reemergence (no one noticed the difference, but simply commented on how 'well' I looked), which coupled with several glasses of champagne and home-made cocktails later, meant I still looked good, even after I'd behaved disgracefully.

No comments:

Followers

About Me

I am a London-based beauty editor and have set up this blog with a single aim: to be utterly honest and objective in my appraisal of the myriad products on the beauty market today. My ongoing sleuthing takes me through the best and worst, with many a pitstop in between. If there's nonsense being spouted by a big-named brand or a tiny, unknown name that's making skincare miracles happen, I'll be sure to share it with you. No brand is exempt and because I never accept beauty advertising or sponsorship deals through my blog, this allows me to be 100% objective, 100% of the time.
If there's anything you'd like me to cover, review, explore or correct - or if you just feel like sharing your make-up miracles AND misadventures with me - get in touch on missmalcontent@gmail.com

my other blog

WE MAKE UP AS WE GO ALONG is a whole other proposal. It's about disparate passions. Things that draw me in, make me smile, make me think, make me happy - from London's secret gardens, to indie bookshops, grown-up and gorgeous stationery, cake (sometimes carrot, sometimes lemon, sometimes chocolate), and really good brews. It's changes all the time, sometimes a beauty blog, sometimes a travelogue, sometimes a book club... for fickle lovers of all things, join me.

There was an error in this gadget

Metro says:

"Maintaining complete anonymity ensures a no-holds-barred review and valuable opinion on the good, the bad and the beautiful. Make-up, haircare, skincare and facial treatments come under fire with witty and searing commentary."

Liberty London Girl says:

"The only reliable source I know (ahem, apart from me) for completely unbiased beauty information is the anonymous blog Miss Malcontent Seeks Truth in Beauty by a beauty editor who really knows her stuff."

CULT BEAUTY says:

Miss Malcontent is a Cult Beauty Good Beauty Read, who also happens to contribute the occassional guest blog.